190 synagogues and Beth Midrashim have been seized in Homel, the capital of White Russia, in the course of the last six years. The first seven were seized in 1925, and the most recent are three synagogues (and simultaneously three churches) which have just been seized, as the result of a big anti-religious demonstration held in Homel during the last Feast of Tabernacles, followed up by several mass demonstrations held in the last few weeks at which demands were made that the town authorities should seize these synagogues and churches for cultural purposes.
Some of the confiscated synagogues have been converted into factories, works, workers’ clubs, student homes, etc. One former synagogue has been converted into a workers’ kitchen and another into an artisan workshop.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
